1. Field
The present embodiments relate generally to processing images of whiteboards, blackboards, or documents to remove background images.
2. Background
Whiteboards, blackboards, or documents are widely used in discussions and meetings to illustrate ideas and information. An image of a whiteboard, blackboard, or document having content information (comprising, for example, text or lines) may be captured by an image-capturing device (e.g., camera or phone camera). Often the captured image also contains background information (e.g., a person standing next to the whiteboard, a hand holding the document, etc.). As the content contains the substance of the captured image (e.g., text, lines, sketches, etc.), the background image is unnecessary and can be removed to reduce the visual clutter of the captured image and reduce the storage size of the captured image.
As such, there is a need for a method for processing an image of a whiteboard, blackboard, or document to remove the unnecessary background information from the image while also being robust and efficient for implementation on an embedded device or mobile platform (such as a camera or phone camera).